Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
S cott was parked in his truck in front of Amy’s home when she looked out the window a short time later. Since their dinner out together—definitely not a date—he’d driven them a couple of times. He had a pickup that would certainly make picking up her newspapers easier. Maybe she could talk him into driving with her next Monday. It was kind of nice having company as you drove too.
She found him dressed in the same tan pants he’d worn last time and a deeper blue dress shirt. “You look great!” That sounded over the top. She cleared her throat. “I mean, you look great for a proposal. Not that you’re going to an actual proposal.” Amy sighed with frustration. “I mean?—”
Scott laughed. “I’ll just say thank you.”
“That’s probably best.”
“I’ll return the compliment. You look very proposable.”
His quirky compliment warmed her. She’d chosen a pink and blue floral-print dress that flowed to mid-calf with blue sandals on her feet. She saw it as feminine, and it appeared Scott did too. Amy switched to what she hoped would turn into a more professional conversation. “Do you have any innovative ideas for this proposal?”
“Because I’m the expert, right?” He chuckled. “I admit I watched some more proposals last night. The elements hold true, though. The guy gets down on his knee. The girl looks surprised. She says yes.” He glanced her way. “There was one where she said, ‘No way!’”
“Seriously? And they put that out for the world to see?”
“It’s amazing what you can find online.”
Amy fidgeted with the fabric of her dress. Once they’d done the first proposal, how did they make it look fresh and new for the next one? The same image of him kneeling in front of her with only a different background wouldn’t work. “Paige is so used to setting people up for photo sessions that she may have ideas.”
The photographer’s vehicle was already parked to the side when they pulled into Michelle’s long driveway.
As soon as they exited the truck, Paige called, “Come see the goats! They’re adorable!”
Amy had to agree. Just as Michelle had described, a fenced-in area near the back door contained the clothesline and flowers, and a big fenced area behind that held four goats, three of them white, one of them black and white. They wandered over to the gate to greet the visitors. “Michelle sent a text that said they were all friendly, and that we could pet them. And she reminded me that they love treats.”
Amy entered that fenced-in area and found a tin filled with treats, just as Michelle had described.
Paige glanced around. “I think we should go toward the back of their yard. The woods behind their property should make a pretty backdrop.”
The four animals watched them with curiosity. “Do you think it’s safe to be in with the goats?” She remembered visiting a farm when they lived here years ago, but she wasn’t sure who that was now. Other than the cow she knew by name, she’d mostly watched farm animals from a distance.
Paige laughed. “I’ve seen videos of people doing goat yoga.”
Amy and Scott stared at her.
“It’s a thing.” When they continued to stare at her with what Amy knew was a questioning gaze, she added, “It really is. These people do all their regular yoga stretches. When they get on all fours for a pose, the goats jump on their backs. It’s so cute!”
Amy shrugged. “If that’s safe, I guess goats are friendly.”
They all entered the goat area. Amy brought the treat can with her in case their four-legged friends needed a bribe.
Paige posed her and Scott as she had at Cherry and Levi’s. “Maybe this time, Amy, lean down and hug Scott around the neck when he’s on one knee. That’s your yes. Shout yes, lean down, and hug him.”
Amy stared at Scott like a deer in the headlights. She’d been avoiding any form of contact with him. A hug had almost led to a kiss, and she definitely didn’t want that to happen. Amy shook out her arms to loosen up. But Paige had a good idea that Amy couldn’t refuse without an embarrassing explanation, so she had to get on board. “Do you have any other ideas to make this proposal slightly different?”
“I’m going to try some other angles. But there isn’t much other than that to try. Unless you want to go with a hot air balloon like Michelle’s proposal or a boat like Simone’s, a proposal is a proposal. And before you get too many ideas, photos like you want would be harder for either of those. I don’t think a picture from the shore like I got for Simone is what you need.”
“It might not be ideal, but let’s keep it in mind as a possibility. I do think that a closer photo makes readers feel as if they’re part of the story, so that would be better.” They needed new ideas. And fast.
When Scott and Amy stood posed in front of each other, one of the goats came over and nudged her with his head, but she scooted him away. When he came right back, she realized he was after the treats she’d dropped in her pocket. “I’ll give you one when we’re done. Is that a deal?”
He watched her closely for a moment before moving out of sight behind her.
Paige waved at them. “I’m ready. It’s go time.”
Scott pulled the ring box out of his pocket as before. He was getting to be a better actor because she didn’t even doubt the sincerity on his face. He knelt on the ground they had once again protected with a piece of plastic and said, “Will you marry me, Amy?”
Amy stared at him for a beat. The moment almost felt real, which was very strange. The man should be on Broadway. When she realized she hadn’t said anything, she brightened up her expression, leaned down, and hugged him as she’d been told to do. As soon as she touched Scott, warmth flooded her body.
As she reluctantly let go and started to stand, something slammed into her from behind. She flew through the air, landing face-first in the grass next to Scott.
Chaos swarmed around her. She heard Scott and Paige speaking from far away.
A warm, wet nose nuzzled her cheek. Then another on her other side.
When she flipped over, she tugged her dress down from its position around her knees. Then she tried to move her arms and legs to check for broken bones. Once assured she’d survived unscathed, she croaked, “What happened?”
Scott crouched beside her. “I think we now understand what Michelle’s warning meant.”
Amy nodded, then regretted the move when her shoulder ached.
“Are you okay?” He put his hand on her arm. “Bernie likes to push against people. He came at you like a freight train, and you were airborne.”
Amy sat up and brushed off the front of her dress. “I think I’m fine. But I can’t do more photos at this point. I have grass stains on this dress.”
Paige held up her camera triumphantly. “Don’t worry about the photos. I got the proposal with you hugging Scott. Those came out great.” She grinned. “And I have the goat beside you before that, you getting hit from behind, and your flight through the air. Oh, and the goat nuzzling you afterward. Lots of great goat photos.”
Perfect. Just perfect.
“I’m slightly annoyed by goats right now.” Amy stood on shaky legs. “And here I thought the cow was a problem.”
Scott chuckled. “The cow was easy compared to Bernie the head-butter.”
As the three of them walked toward the gate, Amy kept a watchful eye on the goats. They had to prevent escapees when they went out, and she desperately wanted to avoid any more up close moments with Bernie.
Once they’d closed the gate after exiting, Amy stopped for a moment, leaning against a fence post to steady herself. “This is at the top of my list for worst things to happen at a photo shoot. The good news is I won’t mess up your truck seat, Scott, because it’s only the front of me that is filthy.”
“I don’t care. I can clean it later.” After waiting a few more seconds for her to continue walking, he startled her by picking her up and carrying her toward his truck.
She held herself stiffly for a few seconds, then rested her head against his shoulder. Not walking right now was a good thing, and she had to admit that being in his arms wasn’t a hardship.
“I got more photos just now,” Paige called from behind them.
Just what she needed. More fake relationship photos.
Scott gently placed her on the seat. When he started to reach for her seatbelt, she put her hand on his arm. “Thank you for the lift, but I can do this.”
“Do you want to stop for lunch on the way back?”
“Not wearing this. I think I need to go home and change.”
He gave a single nod and went around to get in the driver’s seat. As they drove, he said, “Start thinking of places we can go for fake proposals that don’t involve animals.”
“My thought exactly. The way it’s been going with us, as long as we’re outside, we’ll at least end up with birds or squirrels or something else that wants to be in the photos.” She chuckled.
As they drove back to town, Amy felt a little bruised but overall fine. Unfortunately, the cow photo had been really popular both in town and on the internet, so she might have to make the decision to use the goat one. She’d have to swallow her pride to save her business. She had to silence the thought that maybe—if she was lucky—she’d get another ride in Scott’s arms.